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fall

I’ve been stuck between a rock an a hard place, hooping-wise, for a month and a half now. The last time I was hooping was down in the Outer Banks a few weeks ago. Here’s what been going on, as there are three major excuses affecting my situation right now.

Excuse 1: I’m in physical therapy for the sacrum in my back.

Again, good ol’ PT. I’m only going once a week, and I’m doing a good bit of work at home with PT, but, still, with a hurting back, it prevents me from hooping. Well, I should say the pain prevents me from hooping. That’s probably a better assessment.

What hooping has done to benefit my PT is that my core strength is very good. I’m able to do a lot of the stretches a bit more ease and good form due to hooping warm ups, yoga, and well, hooping itself. My therapist is pleased, and, truthfully, he didn’t say I couldn’t hoop.

Chronic pain makes me lazy and give out a lot of excuses. The pain is better right now, so I need to start hooping more.

Excuse 2: Hoop classes at Studio Spin are on hiatus right now.

My regular hoop class at Studio Spin has been put on hold right now due to a lot of factors. This has made me fall off the practice and learning wagon a bit. I often look to those classes to keep me motivated to hoop, and to give me something to scratch my brain while learning something new in class.

At least for the next few months, I’m going to have to learn to motivate myself. I can’t depend on someone else to do it for me. I need to buck up and get going.

Excuse 3: It’s colder outside and the days are getting shorter.

Yeah, fall is in full swing here in PA, and it’s harder and harder for me to get outside during the week to hoop. By the time I get home from work, the sun’s mostly down. My weekends are busy. Besides, it’s been really windy, cold, and sometimes rainy. Yuck. Not the hooping weather I want.

So, what am I going to do about my three excuses?

I’m glad you asked.

I signed up for a program that my place of employment offers. Participating gyms in the area will let you join for $25 a month though my health insurance. The one my husband lifts at participates in the program, and I know they allow hoopers in the gym to practice.

I’m going to go tonight.

I’m going to start slowly, and hopefully this will get me out of my hoop slump right now. A gym will offer a consistent place for me to get back in a little better shape, a consistent place to practice, and protection from elements outside. I think this is starting to sound like a plan. I will be letting you guys know how it goes.

Like this:

Here in PA, fall colors are are their peak. I was a French Creek State Park on Sunday for a photography group meetup, and decided to take my collapsible hoop along.

The hoop got some strange looks from my photography colleagues, since when it’s collapsed into its figure eight, it looks like two rings. People thought they were commitment rings, Indian rituals rings, stuff like that. Sorry, it’s just a hula hoop.

I took some photos of myself hooping, and above is the best one. I still haven’t mastered the action self-portrait, but I’m getting better.